Time, Is Not On Your Side….Not On My Side…

Time, Is Not On Your Side….Not On My Side…
I have been “busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest” lately and neglecting my blog, terribly. There are times when I think I can blog a little but then I realize it is midnight.

Here is what has had me so busy lately.

At the office, My work load has tripled.

Auntie D’s Birthday dinner where the family meets her boyfriend and Aunt C shows how angry crazy she is.

My Name is now a curse word in 7 countries

The search for ManSon’s car.

I had a visitor from Germany! A fellow business woman on her first trip to the US. She is so much like me in business and as a Mom.

ManSon brought home a stray…Person.

Special meeting at Snow White’s school - She might have special needs.

Yeah! I have a new co-worker to help lighten my work load. Well, he will be very helpful after I train him.

A trip to plan for Oldest Daughter & ManSon’s Birthdays

Snow White’s Birthday - Trying to keep it simple may be more work for me than last year and actually cost more! UGH!

Oldest Daughter’s Senior Prom

Oldest Daughter’s Graduation

Super Weekends with Grandma and Grandpa

Insurance Companies may start to look at me sideways

The IRS Thanks me. And Says Hurry Up! We need to give you Money!

Disney Trip coming and I need advise…lots of advise!

Brownies - Loving it!

Death in the Family

Why people wear onions on their ears

Shopping for a new car - Again

No professional can fix my electrical problems (still going on today!) Scratch that it was fixed by me today

I get kicked out of a craft store by their knee cap breaking bouncers

All of this along with my normal day ….

I have not disappeared off the face of the earth. I will return with details on all the above. Hopefully this week. I am sure no one missed me but I truly miss all of you. I have tried to comment in between the time I sleep and bathroom breaks. Don’t worry, I did wash my hands before the few comments I did manage to leave.

I MISSED ALL OF YOU SOOOO MUCH!!

Hello Again! I missed all of you! I hope to have a few free moments here and there to catch up with each of you on your blogs. I am so far behind in my reading and commenting.

I finally made it back to my semi-normal self and ready to get back in the swing of things. During my illness I tried to keep on top of things like taking Snow White directly to school. What?

School: Why was she late this morning?
Me: I am sick.
School: Sorry, that does not excuse her for being late.
What I wanted to say: You are so right. I should have just shoved her out the front door and said ‘Hope you figure out your way to the school even though you have never walked there before.’
Me: Ok, she can use the first of her allowed 5 unexcused absences.
School: You should have called to let us know she would be late.
Me: I cannot call if I am not awake.
School: You should make better plans in order to be prepared in the morning.
Me: I am sick. I did not plan to be late.

The lady at the front desk was still chattering about something or other but I was done. I walked away to allow her to continue her ridiculous conversation alone. Rules shmules I giggled on the way to the car. When you are this sick and the only parent something has got to give a little.

My meds were a bit strong. I was waking up late if I took them at night. They completely knocked me out which prevented me from taking them during the day. So I had to skip taking them during the week which only allowed me to take them during the weekends. This is why it took so long to recover from my illness. When you are the only parent in the house it gets a little tough to stay on the normal schedule like school and work. There is no one else to back you up. I am not saying this only happens to Single Moms. Military wives are home alone taking care of everything much of the time as are women who’s husbands travel for work.

During my illness I did do a few good Mommy activities. Snow White did not miss one Brownie meeting, school activity or outing. I even managed to Trick or Treat with Snow White and a few of her friends. The cool air felt good on my steaming hot forehead. Everyone around me said it was actually pretty warm outside. One of the houses in the neighborhood put on a really great haunted house! Our little troop of Trick or Treaters were anxious to see this house until we were right in front of it. Snow White could not persuade her friends to join her inside so she and I went in alone. It was just spooky enough to get a good rise out of her and tickle her to bits. Even the big kids got in on some Halloween fun. No, they did not go out Trick or Treating. They had a teen function that started after Trick or Treating. The picture below was taken just after Snow White and I returned home when Trick or Treating ended. ManSon and his friends were just on their way out.




Hot Topic Chick, The Crow, Hermione, Faceless Hippie, Dog no likie Hippies



Snow White’s Brownie Troop had a badge ceremony and a Juliet Lowe party. Mrs. Lowe is the founder of Girl Guides in the UK and Girl Scouts in the US She was born on Halloween so many of the Girl Scout troops have a party on or around Halloween to celebrate her birthday. The ceremony was so cute. There was a little skit about what goes into making a Brownie then each of the new Brownies crawled out of an oven made of cardboard. After which they were presented with the badges, pins and patches they have earned up to date. After the ceremony and before the party started I asked her to let me hold on to her badges, pins and patches. She didn’t know what I was talking about. I explained “Let me hold on to what ever was given to you on the stage.” Her loud reply “I didn’t get anything on stage. I got SQUAT!” Then she ran off happily to decoupage her pumpkin with the other girls. The troop leader assured me it was a mistake she will rectify soon.



The girls and their families all seemed to have such a wonderful time. Each parent brought in some sort of food or party item which made a terrific super sweet banquet. All the tasty sugary goodness a child could imagine and then some. ManSon made three large batches of brownies and he even wanted to come along. He helped us set up the tables and took care of the heavy lifting. When it came time to decoupage the pumpkins he was the one who helped Snow White. I was a little taken aback and felt a bit jealous at first. Sort of “Hey, that’s my job.” You could tell he was truly enjoying his time with Snow White. This allowed me to help more with the party and take many photos.

I brought a veggie tray with ranch dip. After seeing all the yummy treats I thought for sure I would be taking home 98% of the veggies but I was wrong. The tray was filled 4 times and then….“Where are the veggies? Mrs. Momma didn’t you bring more?” Even ManSon was disappointed. By the time he made it through the food line there was only one carrot stick left. Snow White walked up next to him and gave him a great big smile. Jokingly he said “Go head. Take my one and only veggie.” Which she quickly grabbed then skipped off with her friends. All he could do was laugh.

We helped with Snow White’s Math Game project. It turned out fairly well considering I had a fever, she is only in 3rd grade and thank goodness for ManSon’s artistic ability. He painted the die and wooden box. His ideas were really clever. He painted the 1 on the die as a Pokeball and the box would have looked just like a Pokeball if it were round.





I hope to catch up with a few of you tonight and more of you this week.

A Few Updates ...

My car is finally all legal and mine! I have the registration and real honest to goodness tags to prove it. That all happened Friday around lunch time. Andrea from the dealership called to say Mr. Fix-it from the shop will be right over to deliver your registration and sticker. When Mr. Fix-it arrived at my work he said “I never get out of there for anything. Thanks for having them make me come out here. I really needed the break.” I respond ever so cheerfully “I am glad you are getting a break but it was the King of Stupid at the dealership who suggested my registration and sticker be delivered. I don’t think he wanted me back in his show room.”

Snow White is doing well with the Brownies. I had one minor incident where I almost smacked the Assistant Leader for saying something not so very nice in front of little Snow White. After a few days I got over it and the next meeting the Assistant Leader was all cheer and pep. Maybe the Troop Leader saw that I was about to attack and had a little chat with her. Anyway, we had a great time sewing, painting, and we watched synchronized swimming! I had no idea there were teams of synchronized swimmers out here in the country. From ages 6 to 60 some-things they really put on a great show.

Remember when I said how happy I was knowing I would never see Bunny again. Don’t you just hate it when your words come back to bite you in the tuckus? My little brother helps EVERYONE. He busts his butt to make sure everyone else has things easy. If there is the slight chance you might need help with something, anything, he is right there taking charge and making it easy on you. He never seems to need help with anything himself. Well, he called me and he needed a favor. Oh my goodness! He needed a favor. Whatever it was I knew right away I would do it!

I broke a house rule that I made. Nothing else that poops will be brought into our house. Snow White exclaims “Yeah, we have a Bunny rabbit!” She is honestly thrilled. This outburst creates a very opposite reaction in my nieces (11 & 13 yrs old). They not only cried, they sobbed and moaned loudly. I assured them we were not keeping their Bunny forever. It will most certainly be returned to them as soon as their new house is built. They even call to check up on him. My brother and sister-in-law assure me the girls lost interest in the Bunny a few years ago. Pretty much it is my sister-in-law’s Bunny as she takes care of it every day. I chop veggies for it in the morning and ManSon cleans out the cage 2-3 times a week. The cats take turns sitting next to the cage just watching it. Pup barks incisively while the cage is open during feeding time.

Gas went down to $2.65 for awhile. During that time I noticed some numbers on my grocery receipt. The cashier explained for every $50 I spend they will give me $0.10 off per gallon of gas at their gas station. Since I had no idea about the gas discount and I have teenagers my savings were substantial….$.090 off per gallon! How long ago was gas $1.75 per gallon?! I saved $16.00 on gas that day. It pays to have all those membership cards. I have a card for every hotel chain, grocery store, airline, airport parking facility, book store, music store, etc. So glad I can save so much on gas.

Oh the Fun of Fundraisers

Our packets included a few fundraisers.

1. Address booklet which we are to fill in names and address of people to solicit for Magazine Subscriptions.


2. Magazine Subscription catalog and order sheets for going around the neighborhood.


3. Candy, Nuts and Candles order form.


4. Flyer for the website and instructions for submitting 12 email addresses.

When we arrived home Snow White started on her homework while I started making a list of friends and family members. Next to their names I typed up their mailing addresses and email addresses. After Snow White finished her home work we called some people on our list attempting to receive permission for submitting their mailing and email addresses.



I do not know what came over me when I looked at the Magazine Subscription Catalog. For some reason it made a bad taste materialize in my mouth. The thought of asking people to sign up for magazine subscriptions made me feel like a leper. I decided to order the minimum requirement of 2 magazines (Girls' Life and Parents Magazine) so Snow White could receive the one-forth portion of the overall fundraiser badge.



The first person on our calling list was Auntie D. We chat on the phone every day anyway. While telling her about the many fundraisers I mentioned the magazine subscription catalog. She flipped out a bit. "Don't put my name on that one. Magazine subscriptions really freak me out! Either you do not get what you ordered or you get roped in to paying for them after they run out." I cannot disagree with her. The last time we ordered magazines I received my Cooking Magazine, Snow White's Highlighter books and Oldest Daughter's BMX racing mag came like clock work. Some how ManSon's Video Game Tricks N Codes magazine was switched out for ....Young Miss Magazine! What is he going to do with that? Even Oldest Daughter did not want to read it. I do have to say the magazine subscriptions we had did end when they said they would. The magazines stopped coming and no one contacted me to renew. (sold to us by a young man using the proceeds for college...not through the Scouts)

Auntie D decided to order the Chocolate Covered Raisins and Delux Pecan Clusters from the Candy and Nuts catalog. She also agreed to participate in the email and mailing address portion.

A few minutes after we spoke with Auntie D, Grandma called to check in. She and Grandpa travel so much they like to check in now and then just to let everyone know they are doing fine and what they have been up to lately. While catching up I told her about Snow White's fundraisers. To my surprise she said she would rather have a magazine than candy. So we put her down for Women's Day Magazine. Grandpa was all to happy to order the cashew nuts. They also quickly agreed to participate in the email and mailing address portion.

What kind of Mother would I be if I didn't order a few things myself? When I saw the first item on the Candy & Nuts flyer I knew I wanted it. This is the Chocolate Malted Milk balls in a tin that looks like a Girl Scout Handbook. It's not the chocolate I want, it is the box it comes in. Snow White said she wanted one too. "I would so use this to hide candy from ManSon. 'Oh, excuse me big brother, I need to go read my Girls Scout book. Page one...bite, bite, nibble, nibble.' All the deliciousness. Mine." I also orderd a few other items for ManSon and Oldest Daughter.

School fundraisers are sure to follow. Since school has only been open for a few weeks I have received one fundraiser - Scholastics Book order form. The only set in the whole flyer Snow White wants is the 40 book set of Magic Treehouse. It works out to $1.00 for each book. Who could say no to reading?

My grand total towards fundraising so far ( it is only Wednesday) is $28 Magazines, $32 Candy and $39 for books. Snow White still needs to sell 25 Candy & Nut items. We need to submit the 12 email addresses (do not worry none of the Bloggers will be used) and fill up the address booklet.

If you hear a knock at your door just after dinner...Hurry up and answer it! It's US, Snow White and Momma's World coming to your house to take your order.

Brownies On An Empty Stomach

We had our parents meeting at Brownies yesterday. I was so excited I forgot to eat…all day. No breakfast. Completely forgot about eating lunch. When I picked up Snow White at daycare she was equally excited but managed to remember to eat.

We signed the attendance sheet and were each given a packet of unknown material. The Troop Leader gave her speech on what to expect this year and a little history on Girl Scouts. After this the girls introduced themselves by saying their name and grade. The last little girl to introduce herself said her name, grade and “I told my Mommy that we just had to sign up for this Brownie Troop because Snow White goes here!” It was Lunch Girl. Snow White was thrilled to see one of her new friends in the same Troop.

The Assistant Leader asked the parents for volunteers for different things. One Mom was the Cookie Mom last year so we all thought it was fantastic that she wanted to continue this year. Why put some newbie in the position if we already have a tried and true expert, right? Four Moms, including myself, volunteered for transportation duty.

The Assistant Leader said she would issue a weekly news letter with pictures and event plans. She also said it would depend on her computer, her short list of computer skills and ….then I started waving both of my hands in the air while grinning from ear to ear. Sort of like "Pick Me! Pick Me!" She was so happy to pass off the news letter duties to me. I explained how I love taking photos “I have my camera with me all the time….see!” Yeah, I was acting like a kid on a sugar high. I will remember to eat breakfast and lunch the day of our next meeting.

I was ready and willing to volunteer for everything. So my list of Brownie Mom Duties are Photographer, News Letter, Transportation, Weekly Helper, and Snack Mom.

Maybe I was not the only Mom who forgot to eat. Lunch Girl’s Mom and I chatted briefly and she wasn’t making any sense to me. Or it could have been me…my food deprived brain not understanding what was said. She said something like “I am always at BJs. If you cannot find me _____ just go to BJs. It would be very likely I am there.”

I think she said her Mother-In-Law or someone lives on our street. Then she said Lunch Girl’s is named after her but it is her name backwards. I turn this over in a brain awhile and cannot figure out how in the world this could be possible. Eventually she spells it out for me. Lunch Girl’s first name is Mom’s middle name and Mom’s first name is Lunch Girl’s middle name. Awww now I understand. It turns out that Lunch Girl and Snow White both have the same middle name! Snow White’s middle name came from her Auntie D.

At the end of the meeting I was waiting my turn to speak to the Troop Leader. The Assistant Leader looked deep in thought as she watched Snow White. Then she let out a sigh and said “Wow, she is so beautiful.” Suddenly, she snapped to attention, her eyes grew wide as she added “Did I just say that out loud?” We all laughed. Snow White said “That’s ok. Its not the first time I have heard that.”

Yeah Brownies!

Last week it dawned on me that Snow White never signed up for Girls Scouts. I was a Girl Scout and Oldest Daughter was a Girls Scout for two years.

The internet lead me to a site that says the closest troop is an hour away. Trying to keep everything local thoughts of "Yikes! I might have to become a Troop Leader!" I wanted us to be part of the Scouts but not incharge.

While surfing the net I checked out the uniforms. Uh, there are no uniforms any more. T-shirts and maybe some pants that look like PJs but a lot more comfortable than the old uniform.




Well, two days into the school year a flyer came home and they are starting local Troop sign ups September 4th. Yeah! I am saved! I wont have to start a Troop on my own and I wont have to be the Troop Leader!

Last week I came home, Snow White ate dinner while I changed and put on the make up I had not time for this morning. I found the Girl Scout flyer and called the number since I could not figure out the sign up location. It did say the name of the church but I still could not find it. I called the number and a man answered saying his wife, Troop Leader, had just left for a meeting. "Girl Scout meeting?" He gave me the best directions he could...without street names. Why could he not tell me the street names? He lives here! He does not need to know the names of the streets to figure out where he needs to turn. I was the same way in our old state.

Well, Snow White and I drove up and down a main street about 5 times before I found the church. It was not visible from the main road but it was off of the main road. After arriving at our destination I could see how the directions we were given actually made sense to someone who has lived here all their lives.

Anyway we were first to arrive. The front door swung open and a really nice lady with short blonde hair was holding the door open for us. Apparently she is one of the Troop Leaders. Yes, there is more than one Troop in this location. Actually, there are 4 Brownie Troops and 4 Junior Troops. They all meet in the same place but on two different evenings.

While registering Snow White they asked if I would also like to register. I explained that I was nationally registered and the eye balls bulged and their ears purked. "National...registered...among us...really...truly?" Um, Yes, really and truly.

The leaders were all Girl Scouts before so I was really surprised to find out no one else registered nationally. So here I was happy to not be the Troop Leader. They were thrilled to have a nationally registered Mom who loves crafts and has a Mini Van! Yeah for transportation and weekly support!

When I handed in Snow White's registration form they looked at me in surprise. "I don't have change yet. It is only $10 to register and we do accept checks." I explained the extra money was a donation and pointed out the check mark on the registration form. They giggled with glee.

Snow White had a few apprehensions about joining the Browines....

"I do not want to be a Girl Scout. Do you know they have to make ALL THOSE COOKIES!" Apparently up until now she thought the Girl Scouts was child labor for cookie making. (I almost peed my pants from laughing!)

"I would be ok with camp so long as we could make smores and there were no bears or wolves." The Troop leader laughed and when she finally caught her breath she said "We try to avoid bears and wolves at all costs."

Were you a Girl Scout? Camp Fire Girl? Brownie? Dasiy? Any stories to share?